The Leader Who Had No Title: A Modern Fable on Real Success in Business and in (16 page)

“Sometimes I wonder whether if I’m too honest in my communication with the people I work with at the bookstore, I’ll offend them,” I offered as I thought through Ty’s teaching aloud.

“There’s a difference between being candid and being rude, Blake. Use your good judgment. And simply remember:
you can say whatever you want so long as you say it with respect
.”

“Another good line,” I acknowledged positively.

“And one that translates into excellent results within the workplace,” interjected Tommy as he flipped through a skiing magazine, appearing to feel a little better.

“It’s true,” Ty continued. “You can speak with candor and express all you really need to say to anyone so long as it’s languaged in a way that’s respectful and allows the listener to protect their self-worth. And that’s really important. Words can sting, man. People will remember something hurtful that was said to them twenty years after the event. Words have that much power. And yet most of us forget that. We speak harshly and injure those around us through the loose use of our lips. We write things that can be unkind and use words that can insult. The best leaders operate so differently from this. In
every
interaction they remind people of their best. And inspire people to be better. Superb leaders also employ encouraging, supportive, and positive words that provoke others into dazzling action. Just look at what leaders like John F. Kennedy, Gandhi, Mandela, and Martin Luther King Jr. were able to do through the sheer power of their words.”

“I never really thought of words having power.”

“They really do. Your words can show people possibilities they never knew existed. Your words can make people feel happier about themselves. Your words can activate people to break through their limiting behaviors—and work brilliantly during the most stressful days. Look, Blake, if someone’s making a lot of mistakes, the common way of dealing with them is to say, ‘You’re not doing a good job, and things better improve.’ But that kind of communication discourages people. Yes, be candid and clear. Of course, be a strong leader. But why not say ‘I appreciate that you’re putting in a lot of effort and I’d like to share some of the opportunities I see for you to take your performance to its next level’? Most businesspeople speak so negatively. They fall into the trap of thinking that they need to use tough talk to get big results. But you’ll get so much more speaking encouragingly. You
can say exactly what you need to say but using uplifting words. It’s all in the languaging. And master communicators understand that. And by the way, I should also mention that your words can influence
your own
state of being as well.”

“Really?”

“No doubt. The words that come out of your mouth determine how you feel. Calling some challenging scenario a ‘disaster’ generates a specific emotional response within you, one
completely
different from characterizing it as ‘interesting’ or a ‘platform for improvement.’ The language we use affects whether we respond to some setback optimistically or apathetically. And you should know that your words are really nothing more than your thoughts made verbal. Your language broadcasts your beliefs.”

“And our beliefs drive our behaviors, which in turn, create all of our results,” I spoke up.

“Yup. Leaders Without a Title are truly
impeccable
with the words they use. They don’t gossip. They don’t complain. They don’t condemn. And they never swear. The only words they try their best to use each day are those that inspire, engage, and elevate.”

“Not only those around them but themselves.”

“Right,” confirmed Ty. “So watch
every
word you use. You’ll be surprised at how refining your ‘leadership vocabulary’ improves your energy levels, your passion for excellence, the pace of innovation, and the way you play the entire game. The words coming out of your mouth also shape the words coming out of the mouths of everyone around you because you influence others by your example. Words are viral. And so by using the language of leadership, the whole culture of your organization improves. I should also mention that
you’ll strengthen what you speak about
. So if you spend a lot of time grumbling and complaining about all the stress and change that you are experiencing at work, you actually heighten the stress and change in your
awareness. What you focus on grows. And where your words go, your energy flows. So speaking about something amplifies it within your perception because you’re giving your attention and energy to it. As the father of modern psychology, William James, said: ‘Our experience is what we attend to.’ Really dig deep into that statement, dude. It’s unbelievably valuable. If you badmouth a colleague, you actually heighten those negative points in your thinking. If you continually complain about what’s broken in your career or within your personal life, you’ll actually see more of the very things you most wish to avoid. Words have power.”

“So leadership has a lot to do with developing a leadership vocabulary,” I reiterated to further integrate my learning.

“It does. It truly does, Blake. Make using world-class language a top goal. And that brings me to the
P
in SPARK.
P
stands for Prioritize. With all the turbulence in business now, it’s so easy to get disconnected from your mission, vision, values, and goals. When things feel like they are falling apart, there’s a powerful pull to get nailed by the seduction of distraction. But Leaders Without a Title stick to their knitting. They stay centered upon only what’s truly most important. They have the mission discipline to stay grounded on their fundamentals. And they work—and live—by a simple idea:
Focus on the Best and Neglect All the Rest
. Operating by this mantra alone is one of the main secrets to their astounding results. Another way to think of the big idea I’m sharing is to consider that
leadership is about knowing very little about most things and a staggering amount about a few things
. But they become fantastic at the few things they focus on. Focus. Focus. Focus. Focus. To the point of obsession.”

“Isn’t obsession unhealthy?” I asked.

“Not if it’s a healthy obsession. Developing a burning desire to do great work because it serves as a vehicle to help you express your absolute best is incredibly healthy. Becoming addicted to the building of an exceptional organization that offers
extraordinary products and services to other human beings is truly wonderful. Growing driven by an intense pursuit to turn your fears into power and your weakness into strength is a tremendously positive pursuit. So, no, focusing obsessively on the things that matter most to you isn’t unhealthy. It’s actually how you win in this world of too many choices and too much information.”

“I’m all over the place at work, Ty,” I admitted. “I just can’t seem to concentrate on one thing for very long. And with all the phone calls, emails, and the steady stream of other interruptions, at the end of most days I definitely feel I’ve been busy but have not gotten much done. And that feeling just adds to my overwhelm.”

“And even if you were shifting from busyness to getting things done, it’s also key to remember that getting things done is
not
the same as doing great things. Too many of us are really busy being busy during these times of utter uncertainty and tumultuous change. Lots of us are running a lot faster yet actually achieving a lot less.
Here’s something to be thinking about constantly: being in the process of shifting from chaotic complexity to elegant simplicity
. In these times of turbulence and fundamental upheaval, it’s really easy to get unfocused and to become superb at being busy doing things rather than being productive creating smart results. But why be brilliantly busy around useless pursuits? No point in spending your days climbing a series of mountains, only to realize that in the end you scaled the wrong ones. What a sheer waste of your three most precious leadership resources: your time, your talent, and—most important—your energy. Personal energy is the single most valuable asset in business today. You can be a genius, have a world of gorgeous opportunities, and a plan to make it all happen. But if you have no energy each day, nothing gets done. With all the turbulence and deep change out there, it’s never been so easy to get distracted.
To spend your days doing the wrong things. To major in the minors. And that depletes your energy. So much smarter to be productive—and to focus on real results.”

“Makes so much sense, Ty.”

“The best leaders stay staggeringly focused on the biggest To Dos. They have the fiery resolve to have an almost military-like concentration on their best opportunities and refuse to be sidetracked by anything else. They have the inner discipline to stick to their knitting and say no to all else. Get to know your priorities well. Then have the self-awareness and execution intelligence to strip away everything else. Hey, I know I sound like some CEO, but I’m just an ordinary dude. But I read constantly and love the great game of business. It’s a lot like sports. Just so exciting. Anyway, what I’m suggesting to you, Blake, is that you need to shift from complexity to simplicity by cutting out all the low-impact activities of your workdays to make room for an obsessive focus around your high-impact ones.”

“Really helpful ideas, Ty,” I noted.

“I’ve not only read a ton of business books; I’ve also read a bunch of biographies. I love getting behind the eyeballs of history’s greatest people. I’ve realized that leadership and success are like a secret code that most people don’t know. Peak performers all do the same practices, and doing what they do, I get their results.”

“You cracked the code,” I suggested as I took a sip of water.

“Exactly,” replied Ty, pleased with my response. “I remember reading a book about Michelangelo, the great sculptor. He had a very cool technique to make his masterpieces: First, he’d see the perfect version of the sculpture he envisioned in the rough block of marble. And then he would chip away all the extra stone. The same idea applies at work as you Lead Without a Title. Cut away all the trivial stuff so you can get down to business. Use every minute of your time doing
only
those things that will get
you nearer to where you want to go. Do fewer but better things, Blake. Because the person who tries to achieve everything ultimately accomplishes nothing. Focus. Focus. Focus. Focus,” he repeated, for emphasis.

Ty quickly added: “I suggest that you remember the 80/20 Rule: 80 percent of your results come from 20 percent of your activities. Get intimately and acutely connected with those few and precious practices that generate the vast majority of your results. And then get really, really good at doing those few things. Be exceptionally economic in your actions, and you’ll see exceptionally excellent results. Leaders Without a Title live and breathe their Vital Few.”

“Vital Few?” I asked, unfamiliar with yet another term.

“Your Vital Few are the few core activities that have the potential to lead you to your own unique form of leadership mastery in your work,” Ty explained.

“And in your life, Blake,” Tommy added, “the two are always interconnected. As Gandhi once said: ‘One cannot do right in life whilst occupied in doing wrong in another area. Life is one indivisible whole.’ Your personal life always spills into your work life and vice versa.”

“Tommy’s quite right, Blake. I know you’ll be learning some powerful ideas on life balance near the end of your day. But for now, I urge you to concentrate all your focus on just the few activities that will help you to close in on your most essential priorities. By working in the way I’m suggesting, you’ll shift from days filled with stress and complexity to hours rich with productivity and simplicity. And unbelievably, since you’ll be doing fewer things better, you’ll actually have a lot more time.”

“To be practical,” Ty continued, munching on more of his sandwich, “here’s what I suggest you do. Every morning, before you go off into the world, take some quiet time for yourself. During that period,
make the time to think
. Sometimes you
need to slow down to speed up. Thinking in silence while the rest of the world is asleep is an excellent discipline for exceptional performance. Self-reflection creates intensity of clarity. And the more clear you can be on your best opportunities and your biggest moves, the more speedily you’ll reach your mountaintops. This practice alone will shift you from being busy into becoming masterful at producing intelligent results. And related to your morning quiet time is the incredibly valuable habit of daily goal setting. Did Anna teach you about The Daily 5, Blake?”

“She did. Great tool. One of the best leadership tactics I’ve learned so far actually, Ty.”

“Splendid. So every day I recommend you write out your Daily 5. That will focus you beautifully on your core priorities. Goal setting and committing your intentions to paper so that they become vivid and real versus vague generalities not only builds accountability to your priorities, but it also actually causes the release of positive energy. Which helps you deliver your results even more quickly.”

“And the
A
?” I asked, sensing Ty was ready to move on to the next piece in his SPARK acronym to help me apply the
Turbulent Times Build Great Leaders
principle of the Lead Without a Title philosophy.

“It stands for the notion that Adversity Breeds Opportunity. One of the best things I can share with you is the idea that
every
setback carries with it an even greater opportunity. Every curse has a corresponding blessing. Every seeming failure brings with it some gift—some doorway that if you have the eyes to see it and the courage to walk through it will make you even more successful than you were before the difficulty. ‘When it’s dark enough, you can see the stars,’ goes an old proverb. What I’m really encouraging you to remember is that each piece of adversity also carries with it a new source of good.
And that for every dream that dies, a better one can come to life
. You just need to retrain
your brain to reperceive it that way. Problems are really nothing more than platforms for even brighter possibilities. In truth, no condition is either bad or good. It just
is
. The way we
perceive
it makes it ‘bad’ or ‘good.’ The excellent news is that perception is within our control.”